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'Opinion/Letters Page 5, News, Tuesday, June 30, 1992 Movie makes A Dream Like Mine too Clear Cut NORTHERN INSIGHTS by Larry Sanders Northwestem Ontario is hardly ever the setting for a Hollywood movie, so as soon as the movie Clearcut came to my local video store, I brought it home. Watching it seemed mandatory. I'd heard all kinds of terrible things about Clearcut --scenes of gratuitous violence, false stereotypes of Canadians, extravagant use of money during the shooting in Thunder Bay, and so on. The movie is based on M.T. Kelly's 1987 novel, A Dream Like Mine. The book, set on Lake of the Woods and in Kenora, is the story of an Indian mili- tant named Arthur who decides to adopt terrorist tactics and kidnaps a mill manager and a journalist in an attempt to stop mercury poisoning of the English-Wabigoon River. Clearcut makes several major plot modifications to the book. The issue that leads to the kidnapping in the movie is clearcutting of forest land considered sacred to the Indians. In the movie, Arthur kidnaps the band's lawyer (rather than a journalist) and the mill manager. The book ends with the trial of the journalist and his discovery of Arthur's ultimate fate. The movie ends inconclusively, one chapter earlier, almost like they ran out of money and had to stop shooting, with Arthur's suicide by drowning and the police taking everyone else away. Raw acting talent Clearcut's director, Richard Bugajsko, had lots of raw acting talent to work with: Graham Greene of Dancing With Wolves fame plays Arthur; Ron Lea, best known for playing the part of the vindictive crown attorney on CBC Tele- vision's Street Legal, is cast in the part of Peter Maguire, the band's bleeding heart liberal lawyer; and Michael Hogan, well known for appearances in Street Legal, The Beachcombers and many other Canadian productions, is cast in the part of Bud Rickets, the unapologetic mill manager. But the acting talent is lost in a poorly structured script, where the characters never move beyond being stereotypes: Arthur, the confused Indian who doesn't seem to have any options; Peter, the lawyer who can't decide whether he wants to support Arthur's actions, or stop horror of the kidnapping by killing Arthur; and Bud, the mill manager who refuses to accept any responsibility for the problems his company has caused and thinks Arthur can be bought off with a job at the mill. The three major characters spend most of the time in the movie trapped together in the bush during the kidnapping. ~ Instead of using the drama of that isolation to bring the plot to some kind of resolution and the characters toward some accommodation with each other, the stereotypes are pushed through the confrontation like hand puppets, unable to change or alter anything. Watching Clearcut, I was left feeling hollow, overcome by the movie's fatal- ism and despair. Left feeling hollow In the book, on the other hand, the journalist/kidnap victim (who tells the story in the first person) comes back to the reserve with his son, while on bail awaiting trial from charges laid in connection with the kidnapping. Wilf, the elder who supported Arthur's actions and tries to educate the jour- nalist in the "ways of the Indian people", points out that a Great Blue Heron has returned to the lake for the first time in decades. The journalist, trying to read some spiritual significance into the bird, sug- gests that the Heron has returned because the band has reached an out of court settlement over the mercury issue. Wilf ignores him, pointing out that Arthur (who drowned himself after a purification ceremony that ends the kidnapping) "is still out there, somewhere, and could come back." The major problem with the movie is the script's failure to tell the audience "what the indians want'"--something Bud, the mill manager, repeatedly asks Arthur during the kidnapping. The book doesn't answer that question either, because it doesn't need to. A Dream Like Mine is not a movie plot, but a spiritual parable, in which Arthur is not a "crazy militant" as portrayed in Clearcut. Arthur in the book is really Wisekedjak (the trickster), a cultural hero of Cree and Ojibway legends. Wilf, the elder, tells us that Wisekedjak was sent to earth to "teach man and beast how to live together, but he made quarrels and the ground was stained with the blood of men and animals." Wisekedjak eventually had to be stopped, but he achieved his objective-men and animals learned, in the legend at least, to live in harmony with each other and Mother Earth. continued on page 12 A warm day spent in the car could be deadly for your dog Warm weather is here and with it comes potentially dangerous situation for your pet. One hazard involves leaving pets in confined areas such as vehi- cles during this weather. Such an incident occurred this past May when an Ontario S.P.C.A. inspec- tor removed a poodle from a car which had been parked at the same location for significant period of time. The vehicle was in the direct sun and the outside temperature was 24 degrees C. The dog appeared lethargic and was staggering. There was no shade, no water visible and one window was slightly open. The inspector had to break a window in order to rescue the dog. He then gave the animal water to drink and poured water over the dog's body to reduce its elevated body temperature. The canine was immediately transported to a veterinarian. Twenty minutes later the dog's body temperature was.40.5 degrees C, and he was dehydrated. The veterinarian administered medication and intravenous fluids, immersed the dog in a cold bath and provided more drinking water. Criminal charges are pending in this case. The most important factor to consider when providing care for your pet at this time of year is common sense. Imagine how uncomfortable you would feel in a hot, unventilated room or car, or tethered in the sun with no shade or water. We, as humans, have the physical ability to regulate our ----e temperature by sweating. Dogs do not sweat. Instead, they diffuse heat by panting, in which water is evaporated by the tongue. This method of cooling the body is less effcient. A dog's normal body temperature is 39 degrees C. A canine can withstand a body temperature of 42 degrees Celcius for only a short time before suffering irreparable brain damage--or even death. Some dogs are more vulnerable to heat stroke or exhaustion than others. For example, short-nosed breeds, such as boxers, pekiniese and bulldogs, can- not endure a heated environment as well as other breeds. Also, dogs that are overweight or not physicallly fit are at a higher risk of heat stroke. During warm weather, a dog should be kept in a cool, well-ventilated place. Do not leave the animal in the direct sunlight. Realize that a shady area can quickly turn into a sunny one. Ensure your pet alwys has access to plenty of fresh water in a splillproof container. If your dog is tethered, ensure the lead cannot tangle, thus preventing ihe animal access to shade and/or water. It is also advisable to exercise your canine in the cooler moming or evening hours. Symptoms of heat stroke include: excessive panting, an increased pulse rate, muscle tremours, convulsions, vommitting, rapid breathing, anxious or staring expression, drooling saliva, and tongue and lips may become bluish in colour. If you suspect an animal is suffering from heat stroke, immediate care is essential, as the animal could become comatose or even die within a very short period of time. Place the animal in a cool area with some drinking water, wet the body down and then immediately get the dog to a veterinarian. Minutes could make the difference between life and death. . Please keep your dog at home during the warmer weather and do not take your pet in the car unless absolutely necessary. You may think your pet will enjoy being with you, but consequences could be devastating. Temperatures inside a parked, poorly ventilated car rapidly reach well over 40 degrees C on a relatively mild day during the summer, even if the vehicle is parked in the shade. Susan Swanek Information Coordinator Ontario S.P.C.A. Rossport being considered for customs The following is a letter from Revenue Minister Otto Jelinek to MP Rég Bélair concerning obtaining customs clearing for Rossport. Thank you for your letter of February 12, 1992, requesting the expansion of the Remote Area Border Crossing (RABC) Permit pilot project to include the communities along the north shore of Lake Superior. Your suggestion for inclusion of this area in the expansion of the RABC pilot project is appreciated. Locations such as this, where geographics affect our ability to provide quality'service, are the types a of areas we are seeking for the purposes of RABC. As you are aware, the RABC pilot project is a joint venture with Canada Immigration and discussions are currently under way with them concerning the expansion of this type of of traveller processing to other area of Canada. Please be assured this location will certainly receive consideration, when selecting the area for expansion of the RABC pilot project. I thank you for your interest in this initiative. Yours sincerely Otto Jelinek